Toyota Announces New Yaris Specifications and Prices

• New Yaris offered in new and revised equipment grades – Active, Icon, Icon Tech, Design, Bi-tone and Excel
• Toyota Safety Sense features now standard on all versions
• Powertrain line-up includes new 1.5-litre petrol engine, more powerful yet cleaner and more fuel-efficient than Yaris’s previous 1.33 unit
• Yaris Hybrid re-engineered for even quieter, smoother and more enjoyable performance
• New Yaris on sale now with special customer savings offered on Active grade models – £12,495 for the 1.0-litre model and £15,995 for the hybrid

After breaking cover at the Geneva motor show, the new Toyota Yaris is now on sale in the UK in a revised range that offers customers much greater choice and improved equipment specifications across the board.

Sporting more dynamic exterior styling and a higher quality cabin, Yaris is set to build on its established strengths, increasing its appeal to a wider customer base. The extensive changes – the result of a €90 million investment – are witnessed not just in new looks and equipment features; changes have been made under the skin as well, and a new, high-efficiency 1.5-litre petrol engine has been added to the line-up.

In line with Toyota’s commitment to making advanced safety systems available to all customers, rather than making luxury specification features, a Toyota Safety Sense package is provided as standard on all new Yaris. The real help these active safety systems can provide in avoiding an accident or reducing the consequences of an impact are reflected in lower insurance groups.

Model grades and equipment features

Entry point to the new Yaris range is the Active, available both with 1.0-litre and 1.5-litre hybrid power. Key equipment features include Toyota Safety Sense (now standard on all Yaris versions), equipping the car with a Pre-Collision System, Lane Departure Alert and Automatic High Beam, plus rain-sensing windscreen wipers, power front windows, Bluetooth and a six-speaker audio system. Hybrid models additionally feature automatic air conditioning and projector headlamps.

The Icon versions of new Yaris add new-design 15-inch alloy wheels, cruise control, air conditioning and a 4.2-inch colour TFT multi-information screen. They are also equipped with the Toyota Touch 2 touchscreen-controlled multimedia system, rear-view camera and the Toyota Safety Sense features are expanded to include Road Sign Assist.

The new Icon Tech grade extends the equipment specification to include Toyota Touch 2 with Go, with satellite navigation and access to online services, and front parking sensors.

As the name implies, Design grade focuses on style, reflected in the fitting of 16-inch alloys with a contrast black and machined-face finish, plus a honeycomb mesh grille, piano black side mouldings, rear privacy glass and a rear spoiler.

The new Yaris adopts Bi-tone as a grade in its own right (having previously been an option for Design models) with a wider choice of contrast colour options: Nebula Blue joins Tokyo Red, Glacier Pearl White and Platinum Bronze, each matched with a black finish for the roof and pillars. The special colour treatment continues in the cabin with different matching trims for the dashboard and door panels, and the upholstery designs also tone with the customer’s chosen the bi-tone colour. Where equipment features are concerned, the new Yaris Bi-tone models add power rear windows, LED daytime running lights and LED rear lights to the Design specification.

At the top of the new Yaris range Excel grade offers an impressive array of premium quality features. Exterior elements include new-design 16-inch alloys, a rear spoiler and chrome side sills. LED front and rear lights are fitted, with an automatic dusk-sensing function for the headlights. The cabin benefits from automatic air conditioning and part-leather and Alcantara seat upholstery

A (fixed) panoramic roof is available as an option for Design and Excel models.

Powertrains

The new Yaris is the first model to adopt Toyota’s new 1.5-litre petrol engine, replacing the previous 1.33-litre unit in the line-up. Although the new engine has a larger capacity and produces more power (up by 10 per cent), it has been engineered to achieve better fuel economy and lower CO₂ emissions, meeting future Euro 6C requirements. Pre-homologation testing reveals fuel consumption has been reduced by 12 per cent – combined cycle performance from 109g/km and 56.5mpg (manual transmission, with 16-inch wheels).

This breakthrough owes much to the engine’s high thermal efficiency – among the best on the market at 38.5 per cent – its high, 13.5:1 compression ratio and the benefits of a cooled exhaust gas recirculation system. It is also able to switch seamlessly from Otto to Atkinson cycle operation to gain the best efficiency according to driving conditions.

The naturally aspirated 1,496cm² engine develops a maximum 110bhp/82kW and peak torque of 136Nm at 4,400rpm. Its responsiveness ensures a comfortable drive both in urban traffic and on the open road. Matched to a six-speed manual transmission it is 0.8 seconds quicker in acceleration from 0 – 62mph than the 1.33 (11.0 versus 11.8), while at overtaking speed the improvement is more than a second, moving from 50 to 75mph in 17.6 seconds compared to 18.8. The engine can also be paired with an optional CVT automatic.

New Yaris remains the only UK supermini available with hybrid power. Toyota has taken extra measures with the new model to improve the hybrid driving experience, introducing a new subframe, engine mounts, front driveshafts and roll restrictor that make it even quieter and smoother, particularly under acceleration.

The choice of powertrains is completed by the established 1.0-litre VVT-i three-cylinder petrol engine with five-speed manual transmission

Model range and pricing

The new Yaris range – exclusively five-door models – is on sale now with attractive customer savings available with special launch prices for the entry-level Active models – £12,495 for the 1.0-litre version (£500 saving) and £15,995 (£200 saving) for the hybrid. Full range prices are detailed below. All vehicles enjoy the peace-of-mind protection of Toyota’s five-year/100,000-mile new car warranty.